Category Archives: royalty

record labels

7

7. Prince and The New Power Generation. 1992.

7 45

on your sleeve

Dirty Diana

Dirty Diana. Michael Jackson. 1987.

That other dude on the rear cover is Steve Stevens, Billy Idol‘s long time guitarist. He seems to have fit MJ’s idea of rock and roll with all of those buckles and zippers.

Dirty Diana rear

pen to paper

Letter from Ronald Reagan to Michael Jackson after Michael was hospitalized for burns sustained when Pepsi tried to kill him. Below MJ visiting a fellow patient during his treatment at the Brotman Memorial Hospital.

who’s a man that we admire

Tom and Vance

Tuesday is about to become Wednesday for the last time tonight in Newbridge, New Jersey as broadcasting great (and a man that we admire), Tom Scharpling brings the glorious 13-year, 562 episode run of The Best Show on WFMU in for a landing. If you aren’t a listener, you’ve been missing out (and some of my posts over the past few days may have left you scratching your head). Tonight is your last chance to listen live. Do so on WFMU, East Orange; WMFU, Mount Hope; WNYX, Montgomery; worldwide on the worldwide web at WFMU.org and in Rockland County at 91.9 FM.

way back

Carmencita

First Queen of the Movies, Carmencita, a music hall favorite, dancing for the Kinetoscope at West Orange in 1894.

advertising

LA Gear

1990.

on your sleeve

Pop Life

Pop Life. Prince and the Revolution. 1985.

cute band alert

NWA

The post-Ice Cube lineup of N.W.A. with The Fresh Prince, Will Smith! Circa 1991.

theda bara as cleopatra, elizabeth taylor as cleopatra

Theda Bara as Cleopatra. 1917.

Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra. 1963.

A fragment of a statue of Cleopatra as Cleopatra.

press conference

At a Sony Sucks press conference, Al Sharpton tries to keep a straight face as Michael Jackson accuses Tommy Motolla of being “a mean, a racist and…very, very, very devilish”. July 2002.

Michael further takes the glove off here and here.

And here‘s a Fox News interview from the same day—notice how the anchor calls him “The Gloved Wonder” and describes him as a “multi-platinum singer” as if she were talking about Ralph Tresvant and not the person who put out Thriller. It’s predictably condescending in tone (though MJ’s claim of having just written “somebody” a check for $500 million dollars is pretty hard to believe) but Michael sort of sits the reporter down—correcting her as she misquotes him and answering her inevitable stupid 9-11 question with the stupid answer it deserved: “What are your thoughts of 9-11, being here in New York?” “I hated it; I’d hate it if it were anywhere.”

Martin Bashir was waiting in the wings.